


The perfect gift

by Bill_Longbow



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Presents, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, One Big Happy Family, Pining, Poor Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-27 16:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17769893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bill_Longbow/pseuds/Bill_Longbow
Summary: Tony deserves to get the perfect gift for his birthday. If only Steve knew what to get him.





	The perfect gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yngvolkayno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yngvolkayno/gifts).



> Written for the delightful Yngvolkayno who wanted a fic about Stony with a baby, or a dog, or both. Also Steve trying to plan the perfect birthday for Tony.
> 
> Happy birthday to you!
> 
> Thank you to [DancingPlague](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancingPlague%20/) for cheering!

 

 

“Why don’t you just wrap a bow around your dick and be done with it.” Bucky sounded bored, as he laid on the couch flipping through a magazine. Steve pushed his obnoxious feet in their obnoxious boots off the armrest as he walked passed. “Really Buck? That’s what you’re going with? Is that what…” He twisted his head so he could read the title of what Bucky was reading. “Vogue doles out as advice?”

“Look, punk, I’ve been waiting on this couch for over two hours listening to you pacing up and down and coming up with increasingly dumb ideas.” Bucky threw the magazine on the coffee table and sat up with a huf. “There’s nothing you can buy that the guy doesn’t already own and you gave him a portrait last year. Give. Him. Your. Dick.” 

Steve stopped pacing to rub his face and mentally count to ten. He loved his best friend, he really did, but sometimes he just was too thick for words. “I think I’m putting you up for one of them sexual harassment courses. It would be enlightening.”

He resumed pacing and didn’t react to the paper plane that hit the exact center of the back of his head not ten seconds later. Bucky had been pushing him to come clean and “profess his undying love” for Tony for months now, quotation marks included. If only it was as simple as that. Steve was pretty sure it was Not Done, hitting on a teammate; Tony was his friend and Steve didn't want to do anything to endanger that; and Tony had never shown anything other than friendly interest in Steve. He would know, he had been studying his co team lead excessively. 

Bucky would counter that Tony drooled every time Steve flexed, point out the time he dropped a weight on his foot when Steve emerged from the showers in nothing but a towel to ask Bucky something, and always seemed to find a spot to sit next to Steve. 

Steve shook his head. It was nice to have Bucky rooting for him like old times. But like old times, his perception of Steve was skewed, simple as that. He might look okay now, he wasn't blind to the way dames looked at him, but Tony Stark still was way out of his league and Steve was lucky to call him a friend. A friend who deserved the best birthday gift, because Steve had pieced together the history of Tony's birthdays, an exercise which left him ready to punch things more than once. 

He gave up his pacing and let himself drop half onto the couch, half onto Bucky who huffed but folded his arms around him without hesitation. 

“I miss you being small. Coulda picked you up and wrapped you to put on Tony's doorstep, put an end to our misery once and for all.”

“ _ Your _ misery?” Steve let his head fall backward dramatically. 

Bucky ignored him, frowning in thought. “Look. What would you say is the one thing Tony deserves?”

“Love.” It was out of Steve's mouth before he could question it. It was true though. Tony deserved to be loved and cherished and worshipped, but most of all loved. To have someone fill those empty places in his heart where self worth and self love should reside. 

“Right. And who here would be best qualified for that task?” Bucky waved his arm to encompass the tower, or maybe the whole of New York, Steve didn't know. He was wearing that patient look reserved for when Steve was being particularly stubborn (stupid) about something and Bucky needed him to figure this out himself.

Who was best qualified to love? Who was patient and forgiving and kind? An idea began to form in his mind and he nodded, half smiling he finally had a lead.

“You're right, Buck, of course,” he said happily, ruffling Bucky's hair so half fell out of his artful bun.

“Course I'm right, punk.” Bucky looked pleased as he redid his hair in a ponytail this time. “Now can we finally get to the matter at hand?” He picked up their controllers and pushed one into Steve’s hands. “I’m gonna kick your ass, Spangles, you can’t cheat at Tekken.”

  
  
  
  


Steve wrung his hands. This could go so wrong. So very, very wrong. This was possibly the worst idea he had ever had, and he considered himself Grand master of stupid ideas. Man with a plan indeed. He looked over to where his gift for Tony was lying on the bed, simply adorned with a red ribbon. He had asked Jarvis to have Tony come to him, since his gift wasn’t suitable to carry around and he was now pacing up and down in front of his bed, waiting for the genius to stop whatever he was doing.

It was only two minutes and twelve seconds after Jarvis had relayed his message that the AI told him sir was on his way, making Steve’s pulse speed up to double time. He walked out of his bedroom to the sitting room just in time for the elevator to announce Tony’s arrival with a cheery ‘ding’.

“Steve?” Tony sounded apprehensive, frowning at Steve and looking up and down the apartment, probably for any sign of an emergency. “Jarvis said you needed to see me?”

“I er, yeah…” Steve wrung his hands, not sure  _ how _ exactly to broach this subject. He had done his research, he was almost positive this couldn’t go wrong, but there was always the off chance…

“You’d better see for yourself,” he said brusquely and turned to walk to his bedroom. He hated Bucky a little bit for his easy charm. Steve inevitably ended up tongue tied around pretty people, unless they were trying to kill him, then he could speech like the best of them.

“I got you something for your birthday,” he said over his shoulder in a bid to get the look of worry off Tony’s face. “It’s nothing much, but…” 

He pushed open the door to let Tony see for himself. Tony’s face went through a series of complicated expressions, some unrecognizable, but there definitely were surprise, wonder and incredulance in there. 

Tony looked at Steve and waved at the gift on his bed. “You…” he started, making an aborted movement to step forward and looked back up at Steve. “For me?”

“Yeah.” Steve put his hands in his pockets. This wasn’t going well at all. Tony was probably trying to come up with a polite way to decline and that was that. Steve would be stuck with-- 

Steve barely held his balance as suddenly Tony jumped and threw his arms around his neck. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. “You’re crazy, but thank you,” he smiled, and Steve was too stunned to hug Tony back before he bounced over to the bed, dropping to his knees and resting his face on his arms as he watched the puppy sleep peacefully on the blanket.

“What’s her name?” He whispered, looking back at Steve with a look of such devotion it took Steve’s breath away.

“It’s a him, and he’s called Dodger,” Steve replied, walking silently to rest on his haunches next to Tony. 

“Not too much?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Please, have you met me?”

Steve grinned as Tony reached out to grab Steve’s hand. “He’s perfect.”

You’re perfect, Steve thought but didn’t say. He just held onto Tony’s hand and watched him watch the sleeping dog. Mission success.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://bill-longbow.tumblr.com) or join us on the 16+ [ Stuckony discord server ](https://discord.gg/jtXcc3n) for all things Tony, Bucky and Steve!
> 
> Comments are always welcome.


End file.
